Nancy Cantor a good fit for Rutgers, and for Newark: Editorial

Cantor’s appointment should assuage concerns of some Newark faculty, who have a history of feeling slighted by Rutgers’ leadership.

Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor answers questions Wednesday in Newark. Cantor was named Rutgers-Newark's new chancellor Thursday.John O'Boyle/ The Star-Ledger

Rutgers-Newark’s newly named chancellor, Nancy Cantor, is a remarkable catch — a sign that Rutgers University President Robert Barchi takes the Newark campus seriously.

She currently holds the top position at Syracuse University, the equivalent of Barchi’s job. She could be hired to run any college in the country. To successfully recruit her to Newark is an impressive score.

Yes, Cantor made a mistake in the way she handled the 2005 investigation of molestation charges against Syracuse assistant men’s basketball coach Bernie Fine, by failing to go straight to police. She recognizes that. More relevant to the job here is her exceptional involvement in minority recruitment and town-gown relations, which makes her a perfect fit for Newark, both the campus and the city.

Cantor’s appointment should assuage concerns of some Newark faculty, who have a history of feeling slighted by Rutgers’ leadership. That bitterness predates Barchi, but boiled over again recently when these agitators called for his resignation — citing, among other complaints, his “lack of regard for issues of diversity.”

They also claimed a vast financial inequality in funding for Newark students. The attack was overblown, regrettable at a time when Barchi is delicately orchestrating a major reorganization of the state’s higher education system.

And now, with the selection of Cantor, Barchi has snagged a Newark chancellor whose very specialty is diversity.

Cantor, a distinguished professor of psychology and women’s studies who holds a Ph.D from Stanford, has written and lectured extensively on race and gender. At the University of Michigan, she was closely involved in the university’s defense of affirmative action during its landmark 2003 Supreme Court case.

In Syracuse — a city that, like Newark, has fallen on hard times — she promoted a program called Scholarship in Action, which requires faculty to go out and find ways to serve the community. Minority enrollment jumped during her time on campus, where she helped strengthen support for students of color.

We hope she can bring that same commitment here, finding new ways to effect change in Newark for students and residents alike. It’s been a year of turmoil at Rutgers, but Cantor is a welcome addition.